#CandidlyNicole

I used to be super obsessed with ‘The Simple Life’ when I was a kid, and I'm more than happy to admit it. Not only did the show revolutionise the reality TV genre and kick-start the whole ‘celebutante’ thing (man, I’m SO glad nobody says that anymore), but it also proved to be extremely entertaining – all thanks to Nicole Richie. Despite Paris Hilton being the focal point of the series, ‘The Simple Life’ would’ve never been the same without Nikki and her remarkable one-liners.

  

Sadly enough, the show ended in 2007, and the girls each went their separate ways. As we all already know, Nicole became a fairly successful designer and occasionally reminded us of her comic genius; Paris’ home was burglarised by ‘The Bling Ring’, and she did a show about making new friends that no one cared about. Apart from that, both women took a backseat in the world of celebrity. Because, you know, the Kardashians took over it.

Anyway, luckily for us, Nicole’s back on the small (laptop) screen with her new web series, ‘#CandidlyNicole’, and, trust me, it is hilaaaarious. Each episode, based on one of Nicole’s tweets, is about five minutes long and follows the 31-year-old as she embarks on various adventures such as removing her ‘tramp stamp’ (which she never actually does), learning how think like a drag queen and finding a date for her friend. Ohhhhh, yes. 

The only annoying things about this series is that the episodes are SO DAMN SHORT! Like, seriously, can someone give the girl a proper show?? Please?



Chloë, My Love

I may have already said this, like, a million times, but Chloë Sevigny is one of the coolest people on Planet Earth. Period.

Turns out, her fifth collection for Opening Ceremony is not too bad, either. The latest collaboration between the 90s fashion icon and the coveted American brand is all teenage angst and nostalgia and, well, me, aged 15. And I totally love it!

It’s also quite obvious that the garments heavily reflect Ms Sevigny's personal style, which, I guess, makes them even more desirable for Chloëholics like myself. Yeah, definitely not complaining.

Here are some of my favourite A/W 2013 pieces:

What do you think of Chloë's latest collection for Opening Ceremony? 

Maison Martin Margiela And Couture

 

Can I just have everything, please?



James Franco: Psycho Nacirema

 

For starters, apologies for the lack of posts recently. I’ve realised that when there’s not that much to do, you wanna do even less, and, obviously, this summer’s been no exception.

Anyway, a few of weeks ago, Leah and I went to our favourite boy James Franco’s exhibition at Pace London, and much to my surprise, ‘Psycho Nacirema’ was... well, entertaining and fun. Inspired by Alfred Hitchcock’s legendary 1960 classic and the 'Fatty' Arbuckle case, the actor slash art-maker has skilfully constructed a very believable life-size interpretation of the Bates Motel – and it’s both gory and hilarious. There are quite a few questionable objects (gummy ducks?!?); red paint’s been splattered everywhere, and the excruciating amount of ‘Marion Crane’ portraits and video projections will keep you well aware that you’ve stepped into Franco’s insanely bizarre world.

Some people (including myself) might doubt James’ creative output, and although ‘Psycho Nacirema’ won’t strike you with extreme originality, it manages to evoke a spectrum of emotions which, I think, is definitely a rarity nowadays. Or maybe I'm over-exaggerating (as per usual), and it's simply his boyish charm that keeps people interested. Either way, you won't be bored.



All images by me.



Givenchy, Amanda Seyfried And Flower Power

So this might be old news, BUT – how freakishly insane is Amanda Seyfried’s Givenchy campaign?!? I absolutely hated the perfume one (seriously, ugh), but this new ad is clearly one of those ‘wow’ and ‘who-knew-she-could-do-high-fashion’ moments. The hair, the makeup, the intense look – everything is just perfect. Good job, girl! 

 Interestingly, Carine Roitfeld, who did the styling, and her daughter, Julia, also star in the A/W 2013-14 campaign, and even though they, too, look great, the Roitfelds' presence in these particular shots seems a bit too random to me. According to Riccardo Tisci, these people are his 'family'. Oh, well... I guess that does (kind of) explain a thing or two.

After seeing these images, I felt like I had to go back to the whole collection and admire it for its intricate yet grungy beauty - once again.

It's no secret that I have a huge, long-standing obsession with all things floral, so most of these garments are basically heaven to me - especially the ones with the baby pink rose print. Yeaaahhhh, that one. And don't even get me started on the hair.

Maj New Music: She & Him 'Volume 3'

I’ve never seen an episode of ‘New Girl’ or watched ‘(500) Days of Summer’ (no kidding), nor have I ever been interested in Zooey Deschanel and her indie project, She & Him. I didn’t even know she could sing, for goodness sake! Turns out, however, she can, and her latest collaboration with M. Ward has resulted in a pretty damn good summer record.

Volume 3, She & Him’s fourth studio album, is all about love and breakups and, weirdly enough, London, and even though it has the potential to be incredibly banal, it actually isn’t. Ok, maybe it is, but in a good way (if that makes any sense).  The melodies are fun and very Beach Boys-ish; lyrically, though, Deschanel manages to bring an element of complexity to an otherwise straight-forward record. (“I sacrifice myself at the altar of someone else's love for me. No, that doesn't comfort me.”)

Volume 3 opens strongly with ‘I’ve Got Your Number, Son’ but starts feeling repetitive towards the end whilst ‘Together’ sounds like it could belong to a different album. Zooey and M. Ward have also included three covers (Blondie's 'Sunday Girl' is totally unnecessary), and with 14 tracks, Volume 3 seems a bit too long. Overall, though, She & Him have created the perfect rom-com soundtrack which is actually not a bad thing. And I will definitely be listening to it all summer long.  

Cannes 2013. Best Dressed: Opening Ceremony

Five gorgeous women managed to impress me with their chic and appropriately attention-grabbing gowns at the (super) star-studded opening ceremony of the 66^th annual Cannes Film Festival (and, no, Cara was not one of them).

Carey Mulligan (pictured here with Baz Luhrmann) looked ravishing in a cream Dior gown. Favourite look of the night.  

I’ve always admired Nicole Kidman’s red carpet style, and this time was no exception. Another Dior winner.

Isla Fisher looked beautiful in Oscar de la Renta. Lovely hair too.

British actress Naomie Harris in Calvin Klein. Love, love, love this dress.

Cindy Crawford in a plunging Roberto Cavalli gown. Take note, supermodel wannabes.

Images via stylebistro.com.

Met Gala 2013. Best (Punk) Dressed

The Met Gala was a humongous flop (the presenters! the wannabes! THE UGLY DRESSES!), and most of the attendees looked like they’d never heard the word ‘punk’ before. In fact, they probably didn't even know why they were there (Kate Upton, I AM looking at you). But luckily for us, a few ladies and one very special gentleman managed to bring their punk A game to this excruciatingly un-punk event.
 

 

SJP in Giles Deacon. Self-explanatory. And SO incredibly maj.

 

Anne Hathaway looked like a revengeful (almost) punk goddess in a sheer vintage Valentino gown. People should really stop hating this girl. Like, now.
 

 

Madonna in Givenchy Couture by Riccardo Tisci. Now, that’s what I call commitment.

 

Nicole Richie’s custom-made Topshop dress may not have been punk, but her hair definitely was.

 

Dressed in Marc Jacobs, Miley totally punked it out. Yet again.

 

 

Christina Ricci in Vivienne Westwood Couture. Rational thinking.
 

 

Look at Hamish Bowles' nails! And the safety pins! What a punk.

Met Gala 2013. Worst Dressed: Boring Bitches In Ballgowns

What are some of the words that come to mind when you think of punk? Vivienne Westwood? The Clash? Anarchy? These particular guests, however, didn’t get the memo, or simply didn’t give a fuck. With the theme of this year’s MET Gala being Punk: Chaos to Couture, the guests had an opportunity to step outside the box of their typical white tie/ball gown attire and inject some fun into their outfits. Unfortunately, the majority of celebrities dressed exactly the same as they would at any other event.

 

 

Clearly, the 'World's Most Beautiful Woman' thought she was beautiful enough to not get a professional hair and make up job like the rest of the attendees. Well, she probably did, but Gwyneth Paltrow looked rather lacklustre in a fuchsia Valentino gown and slicked back ponytail. 

 

 

Gwyneth’s sidekick made quite the entrance last night. Clearing the rest of the guests off the red carpet to have all the attention to herself, and being the last celebrity to walk gracefully up those MET gala stairs. Oh wait, Madonna was actually last. Nonetheless, Beyoncé had all eyes on her, but that Riccardo Tisci couture dress made me wish we hadn't. From the matching print and boots, satin gloves and Primark-esque belt, this look felt extremely tacky to me.

I’m sure all the fashion snobs' feelings of anger at Kim Kardashian attending the MET gala turned into gleams of happiness as she turned up wearing THIS.
 

 

The custom Riccardo Tisci dress was a head to toe floral nightmare with matching sandals and gloves to boot. I actually don’t think she looks that bad. This is just an obligatory worst dressed for you fashion lovers out there. Thank me later!

 

Kate Upton stated that she didn’t understand what punk was. She could have just Googled it or went on Wikipedia. Worst dressed for her lack of intelligence.

 

 

As the presenter of the event and an attendee of the fucking MET ball, you’d think Hilary Rhoda would make some sort of an effort. Although this look is not a ball gown, this is definitely bad enough to make this post. SO TRAG.

 

 

Going against the grain, Anna Wintour makes SO MAJ’s worst dressed list. Despite being the first lady of fashion and I’m sure a best dressed on many lists, I’m taking a stand and shoving Anna Wintour to the side. How anarchic of me. How punk.